Kibou
by Ballad
Summary: A horrible tragedy occurs, leaving Ranma dead. One year later, he reincarnates into an Akita Inu in Japan. But when he starts to have reoccurring dreams and visions of a very different world, he slowly realizes that he once was, indeed, a man.
1. Chapter 1: New Life

**Prologue**

* * *

_He ran. He wanted to_ _run from all of it and to just hide somewhere, forever. But he continued to chase after the person he now despised and hated with all of his heart. He didn't see where he was going. He only trained his eyes on the back of the man he so desperately wanted to kill right now._

_How could he betray him!? How could he do this to him!? He could see the person in front of him starting to slow down, and he sped up even more, cracking his knuckles in the process._

_This was his chance to take him down! His life was his! He could not simply believe that he could betray him and think he was going to get away with it! His best friend and rival…_

_He was so close…he sped up even more, preparing to take down the person with all his strength and brute force…but he didn't see that the person he was about to kill stood in front of a cliff…and stepped out of the way right when he was going to attack him…_

_The last thing he saw was the ocean, a mile beneath him._

* * *

**Chapter 1**

* * *

The first thing he saw was his mother. After the many weeks of darkness, he could open finally his eyes and see the light. It hurt his eyes at first, but then he soon adjusted, and the world was amazing.

He was the most curious of his brothers and sisters as they all slowly started to grow up. His brothers and sisters stayed close to their mother, keeping themselves warm and safe, but he would stray from them and go out to the edge of the alley, watching the magnificent creatures walk on two legs.

His mother would bark at him to come back to her side at once, and she would always scold him, telling him the world was not as amazing as he thought it was. It was a cruel and dangerous place, and he could get killed if he strayed too far.

But he didn't care. Something was calling to him, in the back of his mind, and he wanted to go. He wanted to investigate, but his mother held a tight hold over him, making sure he was always at her side.

Every now and then, a grotesque two-legged creature would come out from a door and drop food for him and his family. His mother told him they were called 'man'; humans who were not so kind to them. But this man was kind. He always gave them food and water at the back of the alley, as well as a nice bed.

He immediately liked this man. He would play with him sometimes, and give him things to chew on. His mother would warn him not to get too attached to this man, but he couldn't help it. Man was so interesting, and his curiosity always won the best of him.

But all tragedy struck. One day, when his mother wasn't looking, he walked a little too far out of the dark alley and on to the side walk. He was bigger now, and he thought he could now take care of himself and not have his mother nagging at him all the time. And as he walked a little further, his mother caught sight of him and barked...but it was too late.

A rope, out of nowhere, descended upon his neck, and it tightened, almost making him choke. He yipped and cried, and he could see his mother immediately coming to his rescue. She growled and barked at the imposters, but it was also too late…they put another rope around her neck and they pulled her in to a strange contraption.

His brothers and sisters followed their mother, and they too were captured. He screamed and cried, as well as his family, but their cries did nothing of the sort. They were all put on a strange animal with four wheels instead of four legs, and the darkness soon descended upon all of them as man closed the doors tightly shut.

He and his family were scared, but his mother hushed their cries, telling them that everything was going to be alright. He could tell, by the smell of her, that she was lying, and that she too was very afraid.

The animal they were put on was called a vehicle, his mother explained to them. A car. Man used it to get around and to take things places. And the contraption they were in was called a cage; to trap things like us in them. He asked where they were going, but his mother did not answer him.

Suddenly, the car stopped. The doors opened after a moment, and they were carried, in their cages, inside a building. A deafening sound filled his ears once he and his family entered the building. He winced and cried, almost peeing himself. He was extremely scared, and he huddled up next to his sisters and brothers.

There must have been millions of dogs, just like them, and they were all barking, growling, and yipping at them. He scrunched back a little further in the cage with his brothers and sisters. They all so desperately wanted to be with their mother.

Sadly, they were all put in to separate cages, or 'kennels', like his mother explained to them once he and his brothers and sisters all settled down. He was more than happy that he was in the kennel next to his mother, and she licked him through the bars, telling him that everything was going to be alright, yet again.

He didn't believe her. Like before, he could smell her fear, and her lie. He was the most scared out of all of his brothers and sisters. Couldn't they smell their mothers fear? Her lie?

He was up all night, barking and crying. He wanted to be out of here, to be outside, to see the light again. His mother tried to hush him, but no matter what she did, he couldn't shut up. He barked and he cried. He tried to gnaw his way out of the bars, but it was no use.

He was the only one barking now. Some dogs would growl at him, telling him to shut up, but he couldn't. He barked all night and in to the next day. His throat hurt to the extreme, and he started to become hoarse, but he kept barking and barking. He refused to shut up until he saw the light again.

Suddenly, a man came by his kennel and kicked it. The loud noise startled him, but that just made him bark even worse. His mother was becoming extremely angry with him, but he refused to give in. He barked and he barked, until finally, one of the two-legs opened his cage.

They grabbed him by the scruff of the neck roughly, making him cry out. The man looked him straight in the eye angrily, and he knew, at that moment, he did not like this man. But fear took the best of him and he began to pee all over the grotesque man's weird fur, or "clothes", like his mother explained to him once before.

His pee took the man by surprise, and he saw his opportunity. He bit down, hard, on to the man's scrubby paws, and the man released him with a yelp. He landed on his back, but he quickly recovered and started to run for his life.

He could hear the man yell, and he heard other's shout, as well. But he continued to run over the slippery floor, even though he didn't know where he was going. He was literally running in circles.

He came by his mother's cage again and stopped. She barked at him, telling him to keep running. He didn't want to leave without her, he loved her very much, but she growled and snapped at him through the bars. When the men started to charge him from around the corner, he finally took his mothers advice and started to run, yet again.

From the corner of his eye, he saw a light. It was the light! One of the men opened the door from the building, and he ran right towards the light. He went through the man's two legs, and he hit home. He was free!

But he didn't stop running. He heard shouts from behind him and he could hear his mother's barks, as well. She demanded that he keep running, and to never look back. And so he did what she told him to do. He ran right through the road, almost getting hit by cars in the process, and out in to an open field. He ran and he ran until he could run no more.

* * *

It was dark when he finally stopped running. He was in a strange place, and many men were there. They were cold and frail; skinny and weak. He continued to walk right past them, panting heavily. He could feel his limbs start to give out, and his sight started to become blurry. Suddenly, his whole body went numb and he hit the cold ground, hard. 

He heard, faintly, footsteps coming towards him. The last thing he saw was a strange two-legged, kneeling down in front of him, reaching out to cradle his broken form.


	2. Chapter 2: Hope

**Author's Note:**

**

* * *

**

**_An "Akita Inu" is a large dog breed (actually, the largest of the Japanese Spitz-type breeds), originating in Japan. To look fully in to the Akita Inu dog breed, the best thing you can do is to go to a Search Engine (preferably "Google"), and type in 'Akita Inu'. Then "Google" (or whatever Search Engine you prefer) will take care of all the rest._**

**_To see what the Akita Inu (Ranma) looks like in this Fanfiction, go to "Wikipedia". ( -- I do NOT like this website, but the Akita Inu I see Ranma as is on it.) Just type in 'Akita Inu' in the Search Box, and then the Website will take care of all the rest for you._**

**_I hope that wraps everything up, for now. So please; sit back, relax, and enjoy the Second Chapter of "Kibou"._**

**_Sincerely,_**

**_Howl Angelline Belladonna_**

* * *

**Chapter 2**

* * *

_Pictures formed in his mind. What were these images? He did not understand them at all, and he could feel himself whimper, deep within his sleep. Strange two-leggers were in these pictures, and for some odd reason that he could never explain…_

**_They felt like home..._**

* * *

"Come here, puppy," the elderly female beckoned to him, smiling warmly. He immediately stopped ripping up a dirty old shoe right at the sound of her voice, and ran over to her happily as she gave him a small bite to eat and patted him gently on the head. 

She went by the name of 'Azumi'. That is what she told him. For one week, she had been taking care of him, and he didn't understand why. Weren't man supposed to hate him? Wasn't he despised? Grotesque?

Azumi was wonderful, and she smelled of something wonderful. He knew he could trust her, immediately. When he first woke up the day after he collapsed in this strange and frightening place, she took him in and kept him warm. She fed him, and kept him safe.

She truly was wonderful.

The people around them…he did not like these creatures, at all. They stood around 'fire', mans creation, like his mother once told him, and they tried to keep themselves warm. But they smelled bad. He did not like their smell. They sneered at Azumi, they taunted her, stole things from her; he did not like them. Not one bit.

Their den was not very protective. It was like his den back in the alley, where he was born. Mostly, the den was made up of rags, with a blanket here and there. But Azumi did make him feel safe. She was a light, like he always loved, and she was extremely kind and gentle.

And incredibly lonely and sick.

He didn't know what that smell was, at first. It penetrated through all of her other wonderful smells. It made his stomach turn and he would cry relentlessly. Something was wrong with her, and he was truly scared for her. He could feel her, slowly slipping away…

* * *

"We've seen better days," Azumi sighed in between coughs. He looked up at her sadly, knowing what she meant. 

Everyday, they would sit at the same street corner in the city. And everyday, Azumi would keep an empty can out (usually the can that he would eat from) on a small table she would use, and men would put strange things in the can sometimes. She called it 'money'; she used it to get more food and blankets.

But today the can was empty. His stomach kept relentlessly growling at him, and he whined a bit. He hardly ate at all yesterday, and he was miserable. No 'money', no food. He learned that rule, very quickly.

Azumi kept coughing in to a rag and he put his head on her leg, whining a bit. He wanted to comfort her, to make her better, but how could he? She just kept coughing and coughing, and there was always sadness lingering in her eyes.

His mother would have known what to do, he was sure of it. She would have gotten food for Azumi, kept her warm, and safe. He whimpered again when he remembered his family. He hadn't seen his mother, nor his brothers and sisters, in over a week. He missed them, terribly. What had happened to them?

When he whined once more, Azumi smiled down upon him, quiet sadly. Suddenly, a flash of something went through her eyes, making her smile with amusement.

"Let's play a game, puppy!" she declared excitedly.

A game? He liked games. What game were they going to play? He wagged his tail furiously, liking the sound of this 'game'. But when she got out three empty shells and something small and shiny from out of her clothes, he stopped wagging his tail and tilted his head in confusion.

Azumi must have noticed his befuddlement. "This game is called 'Find the Pretty Jewel,'" she exclaimed excitedly to him. He kept tilting his head, dumbfounded.

"We put the pretty jewel under one of these walnut shells, and we switch them around like this," she switched around the walnut shells on the small table, "and then you have to guess which walnut shell hides the jewel!"

He looked up at her, not very pleased. This game didn't sound like much fun at all!

"Go ahead, find the pretty jewel," Azumi beckoned him. He lowered his head to the three walnut shells on the small table in front of them. For some odd reason, he knew this game. As if…he played it, somewhere before…

He used his nose to pick the shell he knew the jewel was under. Azumi gasped in shock when she picked up the shell and saw the jewel underneath it.

"Good puppy!" she patted him proudly on the head. "Good puppy!"

He loved praise. He started to wag his tail as he started to smell happiness radiate off of her. She put the shell back on top of the jewel and switched them around again. And once again, he knew which shell hid the jewel.

"**Good puppy!"** Azumi exclaimed even more excitedly. Shock was written all over her face, and he wagged his tail more furiously this time.

All of a sudden, money started to enter the can. It startled both him and Azumi, and they both jumped at the same time.

"**Bless you!"** he heard her cry happily. When he continued to play the game with Azumi, and when he kept finding the pretty small jewel, even more money entered the can. And even more…and more…and more…

Soon, a whole horde of men surrounded both him and Azumi. It made him nervous at first, but he saw the happiness written all over Azumi's face, and he didn't want to let her down. So he kept playing the game, kept finding the jewel, kept getting more money in. And each time the money hit the can, Azumi blessed every single person.

"Ah, you've got a nice lookin' puppy there!" a dark female explained as she walked up to both him and Azumi happily. She petted him, startling him at first, but then he leaned in to her 'pets'. It felt wonderful.

"What his name be?" the nice dark female asked, still petting him, while looking at Azumi. Azumi was silent for a moment, staring at the can overflowing with money. She whispered something both he and the dark female couldn't hear.

"Pardon?" she asked Azumi.

"Kibou…" Azumi answered, once again. She was smiling warmly at the dark female and then at him. Especially at him. "Kibou. For 'Hope.'"

Something sparkled through her eyes, but it was different, this time. There was no sadness in this look. There was no worry. No amusement. It was a look for just good times to come. A new start. A new beginning…

**_Of hope..._**

* * *

That night, they had a feast. While he ate the food from the cartons, very much like the food he had almost every single night with his mother when he and his family lived in the alley, Azumi did something productive. 

"'Hope' by nature, 'Hope' by name!" she exclaimed excitedly, as she clasped her hands together. She put something around his neck after he was done eating and licking his lips.

He looked down at himself in confusion. "I know it isn't the best collar, but it'll do for you, Kibou." Azumi said, happily.

Collar…it was such a strange device. Something was written on a piece of cardboard with a weird plastic thing attached to it, which now hung down from around his neck. Surprisingly enough, as he looked down at the weird symbols, he immediately knew that it was his name. He knew how it was spelled, how to say it to himself, in his mind.

_Kibou…_

He looked up, happily, at Azumi. She smiled happily back, but then the smile was gone just as quickly. She started to cough and hack, and all he could do was whine. He licked her face when the attack went away, and she smiled warmly at him, once again.

"My, it sure is getting chilly out here. Let us go to bed, my Kibou." And with that, she picked him up and carried him in to the now warmer and more comfortable den with her. She laid herself down and put him by her side, and wrapped them both in a very warm, large, and fluffy blanket.

Azumi kissed him on the head and stroked his fur. "You are the best thing that could have ever happened to me," she said quietly to him. "You have given me hope, today…for the very first time in my life. I love you, Kibou."

And with that, they both fell into a very deep and peaceful sleep.


	3. Chapter 3: Goodbye, Safe Residence

**Chapter 3**

* * *

Azumi didn't wake up the next day. 

Or the next…

Kibou cried sadly when she wouldn't stir. Something was definitely wrong, but he didn't know what was wrong. All he could do was lay there beside her cold and stiff body, wishing for her to wake up.

Kibou continually kept licking Azumi's face as the hours passed by, hoping for her to open her eyes and tell him to stop before he'd drown her in his slobber. But her eyes didn't even twitch. They stayed closed…her face, emotionless.

More days came and went; more nights and starless skies. And he kept crying, not being able to stop himself from making a lot of noise. Kibou felt, in his heart, that she was never going to wake up. Some instinct, in the far back of his mind, told him so. It was an alien feeling, but he knew what it was. Instinct.

Azumi wasn't Azumi anymore. It was just a husk; a shell. She will never open her eyes again.

But he couldn't leave her. Not like this. Kibou knew he had to move on, to let her go, but he couldn't budge himself from that spot, right beside her.

Until the next morning…

* * *

He was suddenly awoken by an insistent barking; a deep, thunderous barking that seemed to howl to the heavens. It was a strong bark…an alpha's bark: A roar that made him tremble and nearly pee himself in fear. 

'Rise and shine, squirt,' a voice called to him, making him jump up with fright in the tent Azumi made as their home. Kibou looked around frantically, completely forgetting about the barking that was making him quake with fear a moment ago.

'You don't want to have them catch you sleeping here, do yah squirt?' the voice called to him, again. 'You better hurry up and get a move on before they catch you and take you to the death house!'

Kibou looked out from the tents entrance and then stared on in shock when he finally noticed who was making the noise…and the barking. It was a huge brown dog; the biggest and most muscular thing he had ever seen in his whole life! And it was staring at him with a slight, toothy grin on his face.

Immediately, Kibou took defense. Another instinct probed at the back of his mind, telling him to fight…to defend and to protect his territory. Kibou knew he had no chance against this mighty beast: He knew that he would die in the attempt of protecting what is his, but at that moment, he didn't care. Kibou just wanted to protect Azumi, and keep her safe from this large beast.

'Whoa, whoa!' the huge brown dog said with laughing enthusiasm while Kibou barked and growled at him. 'Calm down there, squirt. I ain't here to hurt you or nothin'!'

'Liar!' Kibou screamed but then went in to shock a moment after. Did he just…?

'I ain't lying, squirt!' the dog laughed, once again. 'I am just concerned. A very young Akita Inu pup like you ain't gonna make it in this big city of Tokyo. You're worth a lot of money, and big men would love to just have you in their greedy hands. You wouldn't last a day if someone like them catches you."

'You can…talk?' Kibou strained out, but not through his mouth. He thought it with his thoughts. His mind worked mechanically as he tried to understand what was going on.

Kibou thought frantically through his mind, thinking to himself…how could he understand him? How could he talk back? But when he thought up all of these questions inside of his head, this huge beast didn't seem to hear him.

So, Kibou tried to talk to him, through his mouth, at first. He stopped himself right when he opened his mouth. Why did he try that? Was it because Azumi always talked through her mouth with words? Or was it something else…?

'Cat got your tongue, squirt?' the mighty beast laughed as he watched Kibou open and close his mouth frantically, like if he were choking. 'What's wrong with you? It's like your trying to hack up a fur ball or something.'

As Kibou tried to talk to the beast again, and wasn't getting results, something edged up from the back of his mind. It was instinct again, and Kibou wrapped himself around it like it was a lifeline.

He could feel this dogs mind. It was probing him, and instinct told him that he was opening a channel for conversation between them. Kibou was still utterly confused, but he did what instinct told him to do: He, too, opened up his mind and probed it towards this other dog. Once Kibou reached him, he knew then he could talk.

'How can we be…doing this?' Kibou asked slowly, still not used to the whole talking-mind thing.

'Doing what, squirt?' the huge dog asked, stupefied.

'Talking…' Kibou said, slowly.

The might dog laughed, making Kibou jump in fright with the sudden loud noise. 'Who knows anything, squirt? All I know is what instinct wants me to know. And instinct told me that I can talk…hypothetically.'

The mighty beast laughed again. Kibou shrunk away from him and went into the shadows of the tent, laying himself down at Azumi's side. He shot the dog a glare as he curled into Azumi's side even more, trying to get warm from the harsh cold.

'Squirt, you can't stay here,' the huge dog said softly. 'You won't survive if you stay here. People will come and--'

'I don't care!' Kibou barked at him angrily. 'I can't leave her side! Azumi took me in and cared for me! I'm not going to leave her here!'

There was a silent pause. The huge brown dog looked at Kibou, and then at the women he was lying next to sadly. 'You know, as well as I know, that she isn't going to wake up, squirt,' the mighty dog mumbled with sympathy.

Kibou wanted to bark at him angrily, but he stopped himself right when he opened his muzzle. Kibou whined pitifully as he looked at Azumi. She seemed so peaceful. 'I just can't leave her here…'

'You can,' the mighty dog stated. 'You know that she isn't alive anymore, squirt. She moved on, and now you can too.'

Kibou finally understood. This huge dog was right, and Kibou whined pitifully, once again. Kibou knew this wasn't Azumi anymore before, so why did he still believe she would wake up?

Kibou suddenly put a paw onto Azumi's chest, listening for…something…but what was he looking for? The mighty dog looked on in wonder as he watched the young Akita Inu continually put his paws on her chest, obviously waiting for something.

'She doesn't have a heart beat…' the older dog said, breaking Kibou out of his trance like state.

So that was what he was looking for…a heart beat. Kibou shuddered. Why did he do that? Why did he know what to look for, even though he didn't know what he was looking for, at first? Kibou shook his head as it started to hurt. He was so confused about everything. Was it instinct that told him to search for the heart beat, or could it possibly be something else?

The huge dog barked at Kibou, breaking him out of his thoughts, once again. 'Look, squirt, I don't wanna see you get hurt. People will find her, sooner or later. And if they find you, you'll be dead meat. So come on already. I'll bet you're starving."

Kibou knew that he had to go with this huge dog. He knew he couldn't stay here any longer. If this dog were to give up on him right now and just walk away, Kibou knew he would surely starve to death.

'Alright…' Kibou said sadly as he started to walk towards the huge brown dog. But right before he reached him, he ran right back into the tent and licked Azumi on the face. He snuggled his head in her neck and breathed in deep. Her scent was barely there and he hacked and sneezed when he got a strong whiff of death. So this is what death smelled like…why had he never noticed it before?

'Come on, squirt. She is dead.' The dog growled, though not angrily. It was a sympathetic growl. He sat down patiently at the front of the tent, waiting for the young pup to say his goodbyes.

Once Kibou was done, he walked to the huge beast with a questioning look in his eyes. 'Why do you care if I die here? Why do you care if I were to stay?'

The mighty dog looked down at him and gave him a toothy grin. 'I hate to see when other dogs are in trouble, especially young pups.'

Kibou could smell a lie in his voice, but he didn't push the question any further. He was too sad to fight with this big animal. All he could think about was Azumi…

'Don't worry, squirt, I'll take good care of yah,' the dog laughed as he saw the scared and sad look in Kibou's eyes. 'I'll take you under my wing and show you around the city. I'll teach yah all the ropes.'

'Wing…?' Kibou asked, dumbfounded.

'It was a…hypothetical statement, squirt,' the mighty dog stated.

'Hypothetical?' Kibou asked, once again.

The mighty dog sighed. 'You have a lot to learn…'


	4. Chapter 4: The Master

**Chapter 4**

* * *

Days turned to weeks. Weeks, into months. But Kibou couldn't have been any happier then he was now.

The memory of Azumi slowly slipped from Kibou's mind as he stayed with Raiden; the huge brown dog that took him "under his wing". He was a giant Akita Inu. A powerful animal. A god.

Or that's what Kibou told himself.

But a god he was to Kibou. If it weren't for Raiden, Kibou would have starved. He would have stayed with Azumi until the very end, or he would have left her, just to get hit by a car in the process.

Or he would have gotten eaten alive by the other dogs roaming the streets freely…and that is something Kibou wishes not to think about.

* * *

'Pay attention, squirt!' Raiden scolded Kibou by nipping at his tail.

'Ow! Sorry, sorry,' Kibou yipped back, apologetically.

These…'pictures'…in Kibou's mind were coming more and more frequently now, making him lose sight of everything else. At first, for a couple of weeks, these 'pictures' would only come when he was asleep. But now, they came when he was awake.

Kibou saw humans in these 'pictures'. But he mostly saw a young female woman now. He felt that he knew these humans somehow…especially the woman….as if, he had met them all once before.

Kibou tried, many times, to talk to Raiden about it, but he always turned his back on Kibou, demanding him not to talk of such foolish things. Kibou didn't think these 'pictures' were foolish at all. They scared him.

And they made him cry, all the time.

Raiden rolled his eyes when he saw Kibou going off into his head again. 'Look, squirt, I've come too long and too far for you to mess this up now. I just gained the masters trust, so you better be on your best behavior! No peeing on the floors and no biting at the customers. And for gods-sake, don't lick yourself in front of everyone, you got me!?'

Kibou lowered his head submissively once he heard his Alpha's demands. 'Yes, sir.'

'Good,' Raiden barked, his voice like thunder. 'Now, follow me, squirt. Don't wander off like you usually do. Just stick by my side and you'll be alright.'

'Yes, sir' Kibou said again.

And with that, Raiden bounded off out of the alley, with Kibou hot on his trail. Kibou hated it when Raiden talked to him like a young pup. He was certainly almost a year old now, but Raiden still pushed him around, like when they first met. Kibou knew he could take care of himself…or well…most of the time.

They arrived at the market a few moments later. Kibou knew this was called a 'market', because Raiden told him so, once before. Kibou also had learned a lot of other things from Raiden. He knew most of the names of the streets in Tokyo now, and he learned more about the vehicles humans used for transportation. Kibou also learned more about the horrid dog catchers, and the other humans Raiden told him not to tread near, anymore.

Kibou certainly learned a lot of things, but Raiden always told him that just knowing things weren't always enough.

'You have to follow your instincts, squirt,' Raiden would tell Kibou. 'But in your case…your instincts get you in a whole heap of trouble, all of the time! So it's a good thing you've got me around, or you'd be road kill right 'bout now!'

This one scent hit Kibou in the nose hard, suddenly breaking him from his thoughts and memories as both him and Raiden entered the market. It smelled so good and delicious; it made Kibou start to drool. Forgetting all about Raiden and his demands, Kibou took off in the direction of the sweet smelling scent.

The scent taunted Kibou's senses. All of his instincts were focused on this one sweet, smelling scent. After running into people many times and shoppers, he finally made it to the luxurious scent. He yipped and yapped when he noticed a huge wall blocked his way. Kibou scratched at the hard wood frantically. He tried to climb the wall. He tried to jump over it.

And right when Kibou almost made it to the top, a sharp, painful tug on his tail brought him right back down again. Immediately, Kibou was snapped out of his stupor and was instantly greeted by a loud growl above his head. Kibou tucked back his ears submissively, knowing all too well who it was, and that a scolding was to come.

'What did I just tell you, squirt!?' Raiden growled at Kibou angrily. Kibou shrunk down a little further as he sat, whimpering, as Raiden's growls became louder. 'What is Rule Number One!?'

'To obey and to listen to you, at all times…' Kibou said, afraid.

'And what is Rule Number Two!?' Raiden barked at him as he continued to tower over the young Akita Inu pup.

'To not wander off…'

'And Rule Number Three!?'

Kibou sat silent for a moment. 'Uh…' was all he could muster out.

Raiden's growls became even louder. 'Don't tell me you've forgotten what Rule Number Three is!! Rule Number Three is the most important rule of all, squirt!!'

Kibou crouched even lower to the floor now. If he could possibly crouch even lower, he'd be a flat pancake on the cement.

'Rule Number Three is to follow me at all times,' Raiden barked in Kibou's sensitive ears. 'Don't ever run off on your own again, squirt! Do you know the dangers that have awaited you if someone captured you!? What if I couldn't find you, or track down your scent? You'd be road kill right 'bout now!!'

'But Raiden,' Kibou started shakily, 'I didn't go far. And no one was going to capture me…I just smelled something really good and--'

'No ifs, ands, or buts!!' Raiden roared. 'That is Rule Number Four!!'

Kibou rolled his eyes. 'Great…more stupid rules…' he muttered, under his breath.

'Excuse me, squirt!?' Raiden barked thunderously at Kibou.

'Nothing! Nothing!' Kibou quickly stammered as he still sat in his submissive position.

Raiden gave a throaty laugh. 'That's what I thought!'

"Hey Raiden, is that you!?" a voice called out from behind the large wall suddenly.

Raiden stepped away from Kibou and gave an answering bark to the voice.

"Well, well, well!" a middle aged man said, leaning over from behind the counter so both Raiden and Kibou can see him. "Raiden, my friend! It's been about time! I was getting worried about you, you know!"

Kibou studied this man from his still submissive position. This man had a friendly air to him, and he smelled nice. He had a lot of wrinkles on his forehead, but he didn't look that old. And this man was skinny…his fingers like twigs on a branch of a tree.

Raiden shook his tail happily and gave another answering bark.

"And who do we have here, Raiden?" the man asked with enthusiasm. "A new recruit?" Then the man's face fell and became a little stern. "Raiden, what did I tell you before? You can't keep bringing in strays for me to feed. I can hardly feed myself as it is!"

'_Bringing in…strays…before?'_ Kibou asked himself. Did Raiden do this all the time? Was Kibou just another mere common stray? He didn't understand, but he would _not_ _dare_ ask Raiden about it right now.

Raiden bowed his head in an apologetic way to the man. Kibou stared on in wonder. It seemed like everything, no matter how powerful one was, had a master or Alpha, and submitted to him, all of the time.

Kibou wanted to say something to Raiden but he cut him off with a narrowed look. 'Let me handle this, squirt. Just sit there and act pretty.

'Look, Eiji,' Raiden now looked at the man from behind the counter again. 'How about you get me and the squirt here something to eat?'

Kibou wanted to laugh but he dared not to. '_Like that human can hear you…'_ Kibou laughed, silently, to himself.

As if the man, who was named Eiji, could hear Raiden's thoughts, he said with a smile, "Well, what will it be today, Raiden?"

Raiden just licked his chops and the man laughed. "Coming right up, sir!"

Kibou stared on in disbelief. 'How did you do that??' he asked Raiden, perplexed.

Raiden gave Kibou a throaty laugh. 'I told you before, squirt. I've been around a lot longer than you have been. I knew this man for a while now, and it was just until recently that I have gained his trust. He knows what I want and what I don't want. It's as simple as that.'

Kibou must have had a quizzical expression to his features because Raiden sighed and stated, 'Never mind.'

Before Kibou could ask more, something caught his eye. Above the wall, to the left, was a picture of a man in a dark frame. He was in uniform and he had a slight smile on his face. For some odd reason, unknown to Kibou, the man looked familiar. He looked almost exactly like the man from behind the counter…but something was different about the man in the picture and the man present before both him and Raiden.

Before Kibou could put his paw on it, the man called Eiji came into view again from behind the counter. And this time, he held something delicious looking within each of his hands.

"Bacon it is today, my friends," Eiji laughed, with much enthusiasm. He threw the one piece to Raiden, who caught it in midair. It was a practiced act, and Kibou looked on in wonder. But then, the smell intoxicated Kibou's senses once again, and he found himself charging at the man. He took a gigantic leap and grabbed at the picturesque substance.

Before he knew it, Kibou ate the whole slice in one gulp. "Ow!" the man cried from behind the counter suddenly. Kibou looked up with confusion. Eiji was clutching at his fingers and was staring at Kibou with slanted eyes.

'Now look what you did, squirt!' Raiden growled from behind him. Kibou didn't know what was wrong until he tasted something foreign in his mouth. _'Blood...' _instinct told him. Finally, Kibou realized he bit the man by accident, and now he knew he was in a whole heap of trouble.

Instead of getting a wallop, the man from behind the counter sighed and smiled. "Go easy on him, Raiden, it was just an accident."

Raiden still growled at Kibou. "Now, now, Raiden. He's just a pup, and he'll learn," Eiji exclaimed.

Raiden stopped growling and barked at the man called Eiji. The man just laughed. "Now you two better hurry on out of here. I've got paying customers to tend to, but I expect to see you both back here next week, you got me?"

Raiden waged his tail at Eiji, and barked once again. Then he turned to Kibou and slanted his eyes at him. 'Come. I still have a lot to teach you. And we are starting the lessons now, squirt.'

Kibou lowered his ears on the back of his head and looked down at the ground, submissively. He had no other choice but to follow Raiden and do whatever his Alpha commanded. It looked like a whole new set of rules were about to come into play…and Kibou was not looking forward to memorizing all of them, all over again.

But as Kibou followed behind Raiden once they left the market, he finally realized why the picture of the man, from above and to the left of the counter that Eiji was at, seemed so familiar to him…because once Raiden turned to look at Kibou in the eyes...Kibou knew…

Raiden and the portrait of the man had the same eyes….


End file.
